1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a cassette holding apparatus for a cassette tape player. More particularly, this invention relates to a cassette holding apparatus for a cassette tape player which utilizes a Philips type compact tape cassette having a cassette casing with an opening in one side wall for insertion of a magnetic head and a pinch roller therein. The tape cassette of the present invention includes a lid for opening and closing the portion of a cassette loading portion where a tape cassette is freely loaded and/or unloaded and is supported. The cassette is secured in the region of the side wall with the opening. A head assembly chassis is supported at one side end of the cassette loading portion so that it can be moved in unison with the lid. The cassette loading portion also supports a magnetic head and a pinch roller arm.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, a cassette tape player utilizes a cassette type magnetic tape, i.e., a tape cassette in which tape reels having a magnetic tape wound therearound are rotatably accommodated within a cassette casing.
Various loading systems for loading the tape cassette on the cassette loading portion in the cassette tape player are available. One of such cassette loading systems will be explained below. According to this cassette loading system, there is provided a cassette loading portion on which a tape cassette is loaded, a lid for opening and closing an opening of the cassette loading portion, and a cassette holding portion which moves in unison with the lid. In this case, when the lid is moved to its opened position, the tape cassette is held by the cassette loading portion and then the lid is moved from that position to its closing position so the tape cassette is loaded on the cassette holding portion. Japanese Published Utility Model No. 63-31244 discloses the above-mentioned cassette tape player.
Most of the prior-art cassette holding structures, in cassette tape players, have two supporting portions with openings of substantially U-letter configurations which are opened in the opposite direction. These two holding portions grip the tape cassette at their side portions from the outside of the cassette casing. Accordingly, the width of the prior art cassette holding structure, or the size of the prior art cassette holding structure, in the thickness direction of the tape cassette is larger than the thickness of the tape cassette. Such a holding structure makes it difficult to reduce the thickness of the cassette tape player. In addition, even when the lid is opened, the bottom region of its holding portion is located near the bottom wall of the cassette loading portion, making it difficult to provide desired operation members and mechanisms in that area. This leads to the problem that the space of the cassette loading portion can not be utilized efficiently.
Since it is desired that the above-noted lid be capable of opening as much as possible so long as it does not disturb the loading and/or unloading of the tape cassette from the cassette holding means, some restricting means is required in order to restrict the opening angle of the lid. In the prior art cassette tape players, an opening angle restricting portion is integrally formed with the lid on or near the rotation fulcrum portion of the lid. Alternatively, a restricting member may be independently fixed to the lid, making the structure more complicated due to an increased number of assembly parts.
Furthermore, in this kind of the cassette tape player, the tape cassette can be loaded on the cassette holding structure both in the correct direction and in the incorrect direction. Alternatively, the tape cassette can be directly loaded on the cassette loading portion even when the tape cassette is not loaded on the cassette holding structure. When this occurs, a risk that the cassette casing will collide with the magnetic head and other parts arises. In order to eliminate the abovementioned risk, the cassette holding structure and the cassette loading portion are provided with additional members for avoiding the tape cassette from being loaded on the cassette loading portion in an incorrect manner. This assembly also provides an increased number of assembly parts in the cassette tape player.